Seal



S. W. TREAT SEAL Filed April '29, 1920- Patented May i2, was.

UNITED STATES 1,537,715 PTENT OFFICE.

SYDNEY W. TREAT, OF CHICAGQTLLINOIS, ASSIGNDR TO SJIIGTN'ODE SYSTETEINC., 0]? v CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A GORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SEAL.

Application filed April 29, 1920. Serial No. 377,697.

To aZZ whom itxmag concern:

Be it known that l, SYDNEY W. TREAT, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Seals, of which thefollowing is a -t'ull, clear, concise, and exact description,referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to means for sealing freight cars and othercontainers to render pilfering impossible without detection.

It is an object of the invention to provide simple etlicient means forthis purpose, which shall 'be simple and economical to manufacture andapply.

In the accompanying drawings, which represent an illustrative embodimentof the invention Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a seal made accordingto my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the sealing means with its coactingelements separated. j

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a piece of sheet metal stock showing how thesleeve element of the sealing means may be produced with out waste.

Box car seals of the prior art have comprised generally, either leadseals, which are expensive, or some form of sheet metal device, whichinvolves the cutting out of special forms, involving substantial wasteof metal. In the sheet metal sealing means herein disclosed, no waste isinvolved, and the device is otherwise advantageous.

I employ coacting elements, one a strip 1 of sheet metal which maybethreaded through a staple, or other device on a box car door, forinstance; the sleeve 2, which is adapted to be crimped upon andsimultaneously with the two ends of the strip, forming therewith apilier proot seal.

The metal strip 1, may be cut in indefinite lengths from sheet metalstock without waste since it is of uniform width throughout. The sleeveelement 2 comprises a portion having folded wings 3, to'form a slottedtube appropriately formed to receive superposed ends of the strip 1, anda tab or extension 4. In Fig. 3, it is shown that the blanks for formingthe sleeve elements may be cut from sheet metal stock without waste-eachtab 4 lying between the wider portions of the. adjacent blanks on eachside. The dotted lines in Fig. 8 indicate where the wings 3 are foldedover on each blank form the sleeve portion as shown in Fig. 2. v i

In assembling abox car seal constructed according to this invention, astrip 1, of predetermined length is threaded through a staple or thelike on a car door; its ends are then superposed and threaded togetherin the same direction through the sleeve 2. Thereafter by a suitabletool, the assembly, comprising the two strips and the sleeve, issimultaneouslycrimped, in a manner to distort thefedges oi vthe/assemblytoward each other, and form a joint such as that illustrated in Fig. 1,and shown more in detail in Flora Patent 1,252,680 of J anuary 8, 1918.I

be opened without leaving clear indications or having been tamperedwith.

The result is a strong joint which cannot It is desirable in applyingbox seals and thelike, that the seal be impressed with the name ordevice of the railroad or shipper. It is somewhat diilicult to do thissatisfactorily as the seal is being applied, furtermore the distortioninvolved as making a sealed joint in sheet metal device, would rendersuch impress diflicult to identify. I therefore provide the tab orextension 4, upon which the name (for instance) of the shipper may beimpressed, preferably in raised letters, but in any' other mannerdesired. This tab is not involved in the distortion which formsthejo'int and maintains its legibility unimpaired, throughout the lifeoi the seal. Thus, each shipper may have his own device on the tabs ofthe sleeve member. he uses. In addition-the strips 1 may bear in raisedletters or otherwise the" name of the railroad or off theshipper, or

other desired legend.

The foregoing discloses an exceedingly cheap and efiicient seal, easilyapplied and identifiable at all times. Obviously the disclosed seal maybe used for many other purposes than for sealing box cars, such usebeing merely illustrative.

I claim: v

1. A seal member of the class described comprising an initially flatrectangular body portion having a narrower tongue formed integral withand projecting cenll l iii

trally from one "end thereof, both lateral. edges of said body memberbeing turned toward each other to provide strip slots parallel with thelateral edges of said tongue. v p p a 2.- In combination, a metal stripturned upon itself and having its ends brought together, a seal membercomprising an initially rectangular fiat body portion having its lateraledges turned toward each other to l'orn slots embracing the later'aledges of theends of said strip, together with -a tongl'ie formedintegral with and projecting centrally fronione end of said bodyportion, said tongue lying parallel with and against one of the endportions of said strip. 3'. A seal member of the class described eonpri'siri'g an initially-[fiat rectangular body portion, and 'a narrowertongue of the same length as said body portion, said tongue projectingcentrally from one end of the body portion with "the lateral edges ofthe tongue and body portion parallel with each other, the lateraledgesof the body portion being turned toward each other to provide "stripslots "for the 'pnrpose set forth.

4. A seal of the class described comprising an initially flatsubstantially rectangular body portion, a narrower tongue in tegral withsaid body portion and adapted tohave identifying legends appliedthereto, the edges of said body portion being folded and rebent in thesame direction to provide a sleeve or channel, and a strip of sheetmetal, the opposite ends of which are passed into said sleeve in thesame direction, said sleeve and said ends being conjointly crimpedtogether.

5. A seal member of the class described comprising an initially flatrectangular body portion having a narrower tongue formed integral withand projecting from one end thereof, both lateral edges of said bodymember being turned towards each other to form wings substantiallyparallel with the lateral edges of said tongue, said wings lying insubstantially the same *plane and being of'substantially the same width.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this day of April, A.D., 1920.

s w. TREAT.

